A new partnership between the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) and the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) will see students receiving degrees in less time.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed last Thursday between the two institutions to allow a three-plus-two mechanism to take effect for students who wish to pursue Bachelors of Science degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Studies.

Under this partnership, students enrolled in the Hospitalities or Culinary Arts associate degree programmes will now complete three years of study at the SVGCC (they now do two years). The extra year here will eliminate two years studying in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) at the USC where students currently do four years.

Dr Claudette Mitchell, the chairperson of
Family and Consumer Science

“We looked at the proposal and essentially what it would mean is that our hospitalities and culinary arts students, when they looked at the curriculum that they follow for the applied associates degree, they found that they were doing a number of the courses that could take care of the first two years of a four-year degree at USC,” Nigel Scott, the director of SVGCC explained.

Scott described this new arrangement as “a perfect blend” because it shortens the student’s time away from home.

He also said that there were a cadre of possible applicants already available to benefit from the arrangement and the SVGCC was always looking for partnerships to help students and by extension, Vincentians to create a better and brighter future.

Dr Hilary Bowman, the president of the USC was present at Thursday’s ceremony, having postponed a trip to Mexico to be in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) for the occasion.

Bowman, a Vincentian by birth, commended the college for the work it has been doing. He welcomed the partnership between the SVGCC and the USC.

“This MOU would help your young people to achieve the Bachelors of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and also a Bachelors of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science. And we are prepared to continue to expose you and the Vincentian public, our young people to the many degrees that we offer at University of the Southern Caribbean,” he said.

The USC, which has been accredited by several bodies, will celebrate its 92nd anniversary this year. It offers over 40 degrees from the Bachelors level to PhD level and Bowman said they continue to upgrade their programmes to suit the needs of the Caribbean society.

Dr Claudette Mitchell, the chairperson of Family and Consumer Science thanked Scott and chairman of the SVGCC board, Dr Simone Keizer-Beache for their involvement in bringing the partnership to fruition.

Mitchell said the advancement of students helps to promote economic growth and sustainable communities.

“Our collaboration with SVGCC will seek not only to help those students who are in programmes in the culinary arts as well as hospitalities and tourism, but it will expand beyond borders to embrace other students who perhaps would want to do our programmes in business, our programmes in Computer Science, our programmes in Mathematics, our programmes in Nursing, who want to obtain a Masters in Occupational Therapy,” Mitchell said.

She said students who wish to expand their studies in social work and psychology will also be given an opportunity to do so.

Myccle Burke, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education also delivered brief remarks at Thursday’s event. He said the ministry fully endorses the partnership between the SVGCC and the USC.